Dolphin awards contract for gas receiving facility

The massive cross-border engineering feat of bringing natural gas across the sea from Qatar to the UAE got closer to realisation with the award of the contract to build the new gas receiving facility and associated pipelines in Abu Dhabi. Project promoter Dolphin Energy Limited selected the Technip (Abu Dhabi) and Al Jaber Energy Services Consortium as the successful bidder for its new Taweelah gas receiving facility and associated pipelines that are to be built onshore in Abu Dhabi. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) award is part of the more than AED 1.93 billion contracts awarded so far for Dolphin Energy’s upcoming natural gas export pipeline from Qatar. The latest contract’s value is in excess of US $62 million (AED 227.5 million). Dolphin, in April, named Saipem of Italy as the successful bidder for its engineering, procurement and construction sealines award. The contract’s value is in excess of $115 million (AED 422 million). Saipem was also awarded the $350 million (AED 1285 million) EPC contract for the main export pipeline. The three contracts are for a value in excess of $527 million. Technip (Abu Dhabi) and Al Jaber Energy Services Consortium are to build the facilities adjacent to the existing Taweelah power station. These will initially comprise three parallel gas receiving trains and associated equipment, metering facilities, control buildings and warehouse – plus additional interconnecting pipelines to the Taweelah power station and to the existing Maqta-Jebel Ali pipeline. Other pre-qualified bidders for the latest contract were Dodsal Pte, JFE Engineering, National Petroleum Construction Company, Petrofac International, Technimont and Willbross Middle East/Al Hussam Joint Venture. When Dolphin is up and running in 2006, refined Dolphin gas from Qatar will flow through the 48-inch, 370-kilometer export pipeline from Ras Laffan to Taweelah. From there, its flow will be monitored and controlled for distribution to customers in the UAE and Oman. Initial flow will be an average 2 billion standard cubic feet per day. In the latter part of April, Dolphin awarded the more than $115 million engineering, procurement and construction of the sealines to Saipem. The two 36-inch diameter lines will be concrete-coated. When commissioned in 2006, the sealines will transport Dolphin’s production stream of unprocessed natural gas and hydrocarbon liquids some 80 kilometers from its two offshore platforms in the North Field – for delivery to the company’s processing plant in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City. Thereafter, the main export pipeline will transport dry gas to Dolphin’s receiving facilities at Taweelah.